Bottle holder



July 14; 1.942. IH R- ENGEI.. ETAL Y 2,289,701

BOTTLE HOLDER Filed May 26, 1941 HKFOZCZ RE/zgeL Irene 17.55961 INVENTORS ATTOR N EYS Patented July 14, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE HOLDER Harold R. Engel and Irene E. Engel,

Fort Dodge, Iowa Application May 26, 1941, Serial No. 395,265

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a bottle holder and has for an object to provide a device adapted to be easily attached and removed from the lower wall of the window opening of an automobile door for supporting a soft drink bottle or other bottle inside the carso as to be within convenient reach of the driver or passenger.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which may be folded into a small compact unit when not in use.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable partsy which will be inexpensiveto manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it beingunderstood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a bottle holder constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bottle holder in folded condition.

Figure 3 is a plan view shown in Figure l.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the hinges of the spring clip and of the upper and lower members of the bottle holder.

Figure 5 is a detail plan View of a modified form of spring clip.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of frame in which the upper member is a single hook.

Figure 'I is a perspective view of the upper frame member showing a vacuum cup instead of a hook for securing the bottle in operative position.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the bottle holder comprises a frame including upper and lower members II) and I I, preferably formed of resilient strap metal, the upper member being of V form and the lower member being of inverted V form. The upper member is provided at the upper ends of its branches with spring hooks I2 which preferably are covered with fabric or other sleeves I3 to prevent marring of the` nish of the automobile. The hooks are adapted to engage the lower wall I4 of the window opening of an automobile door between the inner side of the door and the glass panel, see Figure l.

A substantially semi-circular skeleton base I5 is formed integral with the lower member II of the frame and extends at a right angle thereto for supportal, a soft drink bottle I6 or other bottle, in upright position of the frame.

The members I0 and Il of the frame are pivotally connected together so as to permit them to be arranged in extended, or in folded relation. For this purpose an offset II is formed at the bottom of the upper member I0, see Figure 4. The offset is bifurcated at the bottom and the branches of the offset are rolled to provide hinge eyes I8. The upper end of the lower member II is provided with a single hinge eye I3 adapted to be received by the hinge eyes I8 of the upper member. A pivot pin 20 is engaged through the interdigitating hinge eyes I8 and I9. The lower member may be folded upwardly against the rear side of the upper member until the base I5 engages the hooks I2, see Figure 2. The purpose of the offset I1 is to permit the upper member and lower member to extend in a common vertical plane so as to lie fiat against the inner face of the car door when the device is in use.

A spring clip 2I, is preferably formed of two arcuate resilient arms. Each arm is bent outwardly and rearwardly at the front end to provide a cam 22 to permit easy insertion of the bottle between the spaced free ends of the arms. The opposite ends of the arms are bent to provide hinge eyes 23, see Figure 4. The hinge eyes 23 are received between the hinge eyes 25 formed on a substantially rectangular bracket 26 which is snugly fitted on the offset I'I. A pivot pin 21 is passed through the eyes 25 of the bracket and the eyes 23 of the spring clip. The spring clip may be folded forwardly and upwardly toward the front side of the upper member I0 of the devices when the lower member II of the frame is folded rearwardly against the rear side of the upper member I0 to permit the device to be folded into a small compact unit.

The spring clip may be formed of a single strap of resilient metal as shown at 28 in Figure 5. The free ends of the clip are spaced apart and are folded back upon themselves to provide spring coils 29 which form cams to spread the arms of the clip when the bottle is to be inserted or removed. The hinge eye 30 at the rear portion of the clip is formed by looping the metal of the clip upon itself.

4The upper member 3| of the frame may be formed of a single rectilinear arm as shown in Figure 6. The arm terminates in the hook 21 which is covered with a sleeve 23 of fabric or other metal to hook over the automobile door between the inner side of the door and the glass panel without marring the iinish.

The upper member 32 may be equipped with a suction cup 33 in lieu of a hook to support the bottle holder on the car door, glass panel or other part of the vehicle.

To reduce the expense to manufacture, the device may be simplified by forming it of only two pieces, the upper member I0, lower member II, branches I2, and base I may be formed of a single integral piece, and the clip 2| may constitute the other piece. The clip 2l may be secured in any preferred manner to the one piece frame just described, either rigidly, or through the medium of a hinge to permit the clip to fold against the frame member. Also the base I5 may be hingedly connected to the frame member if desired so that the device may be permanently left attached to the motor vehicle with the base I5 and clip 2I folded up out of the way.

Since the operation of the parts has been described as the description of the parts progressed, it is thought that the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A bottle holder comprising upper and lower members, securing means at the upper end of the upper member, a hinge connecting the lower member to the upper member permitting the members to be arranged in extended or in folded relation, a base secured to the lower end of the lower member extending at substantially a right angle to the lower member for supporting a bottle in upright position, and a spring clip hinged to the upper member for movement to extended poto be folded against the upper member in release position.

2. A bottle holder comprising an upper member of substantially V form, 4a lower member of in-. verted V form, resilient hooks on the upper ends of the branches of the upper member adapted to engage the lower wall of the window opening of an automobile door between the inner side of the door and the glass panel thereof, means pivotally connecting the upper member to the lower member to permit the members to be arranged in extended or in folded relation, a base secured to the lower member extending perpendicular to the member, and a spring clip pivotally connected to one of the members to be extended parallel with said base or to be folded against the upper member in released position.

13. A bottle holder comprising upper and lower members, the upper member being provided with an offset terminating in hinge eyes, the lower member being provided with a hinge eye coacting with the first named hinge eyes, said offset disposing both members in aligned position when the members are extended, a hinge pin engaged through said eyes permitting the lower member to be folded against one side of the upper memsition to engage the sides of a bottle and adapte ber, a bottle support on the lower member, andresilient arms hinged to the upper member adapted to coact with the bottle support in supporting a bottle in upright position on the members, said resilient arms being swingable against the other side of the upper member when the lower member is folded against the rear side of the upper member to form a small compact unit.

`HAROLD R. ENGEL. IRENE E. ENGEL. 

